I would like to thank Dr Ian Gibson for inviting me here today to share in the centenary celebrations of the British Psychological Society (BPS). I would like to start by offering my congratulations to the Society for 100 years of promoting the advancement and diffusion of psychology, pure and applied. Today, I would like to discuss the role that psychology plays in supporting evidence-based policy making. I would also like to talk about how Government Science Policy will affect the profession of psychology, and highlighting some recent activities in the field.
Interest in psychology - the study of how people act, react and interact - has never been greater, making it one of the most vibrant and successful scientific disciplines.
- 40,000 students study psychology at university level, with year-on-year growth in student applications
- Psychology is one of the most successful scientific disciplines when it comes to recruiting young women as students
- There are 42,000 students studying A-level psychology
Psychological insights are of value to decision makers in public policy. Psychologists have a distinguished track record as expert advisors supporting the work of Parliament and Government in the UK. If the public is to benefit from the high professional standards of competence and conduct from psychologists which it deserves, the Society's work in setting and maintaining those standards must be supported and promoted.
Psychology contributes to the achievement of the goals of normal political life, by delivering improvements in core services such as education, health care and criminal justice and supporting policy making based on evidence. It also helps explain and ameliorate the stresses placed upon people in times of conflict. The psychological profession has a distinguished history of helping those affected by war to recover their ability to lead peaceful and productive lives.
PSYCHOLOGY IN THE POLITICAL ARENA
Because psychology studies both normal and abnormal behaviour, it is of value to politicians and other decision makers who need both to react to threats and plan for the achievement of positive social goods. At a time of conflict, such as the present, the findings of psychological research are there to assist politicians in developing appropriate and constructive responses to dangerous situations.
GOVERNMENT SUPPORT FOR PSYCHOLOGY
The field of Psychology has been one of the many areas that has benefited from the Government's increased investment in the science base. After years of poor investment in university infrastructure, the outcome of 1998's Comprehensive Spending Review provided the increased finance needed for extra resources for research, education and, especially, infrastructure. Scientists are one of our most valuable assets, and they need funding for their research and the tools to do it with. You cannot produce first class science from crumbling laboratories with second rate equipment.
Therefore, through the £750 million Joint Infrastructure Fund between the Wellcome Trust and Government and the £1 billion Science Research Investment Fund, increased capital investment will ensure that the UK has world class facilities for world class research. All the funds from JIF have now been allocated and I'm delighted to report that over £50 million has been awarded for the study of Psychology and closely related sciences. New facilities and equipment will be established to study, for example, cognition, behaviour, anxiety and other disorders. Additional awards will advance the exciting field of imaging, providing new insight into brain function.
MRC ACTIVITIES
A key strategic priority of the Medical Research Council is to strengthen a whole range of research relevant to mental health, from basic studies on psychiatric genetics and biological mechanisms, imaging and neuroinformatics, through to work on effective health service delivery, in partnership with the Department of Health and the NHS.
Included in their extensive mental health research portfolio are exciting projects investigating the areas of schizophrenia and antisocial behaviour. For example, researchers at the Institute of Psychiatry in London are using Motivational Interviewing to investigate methods to improve drug compliance in chronic functional psychoses. Another project is looking at two mechanisms of antisocial and risk-taking behaviour – impulsivity and lack of empathy. This group, and others, are using state-of-the-art imaging techniques to gain novel insight into the complexities of the brain.
CONCLUSIONS
There is much to celebrate at the conclusion of the Society's first 100 years of achievement. An increased understanding of psychology brings benefits that can permeate every area of society. Expertise in psychology contributes to evidence-based policy making, providing more effective understanding of people's needs, choices and actions. I would like to wish every success to the BPS as they look forward to the next hundred years of bringing psychology to society.
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